On the Rise of the Shores of the Firth of Forth, 281 



by the Esk may be shown to be sufficient to have formed all 

 the land gained from the sea, but there is reason to believe 

 that these deposits are augmented from the land lost by 

 encroachment of the sea between Leith and Joppa, where 

 of late several acres have been carried off to the depth of 

 about 20 feet, leaving large boulders upon the shore which 

 had been formerly mixed with the soil. 



Mr Hay observed the Esk, during inundations, coming 

 down with a body of water having a cross section of at least 

 80 yards in area, with a velocity of three yards per second, 

 bearing down stones of some hundred pounds weight. 

 Now, allowing that the water was charged with only 

 y-J-g-th of its volume of other matter (which is a very low esti- 

 mate), or V2 cubic yard per second, or 4320 yards per hour, 

 and allow this to continue only ten hours annually, there 

 would, at the end of 300 years, be deposited 12,960,000 cubic 

 yards — a quantity sufficient to cover 400 imperial acres 

 to the height of 20 feet 1 inch. There are some of the 

 feu charters of the small properties in Newbigging, that 

 declare these lands to be bounded by the sea ; now, they are 

 nearly three-quarters of a mile from the sea, with many pro- 

 perties intervening. The most ancient of the charters are 

 of those lands farthest from the sea, and they become the 

 more modern the nearer they approach the sea, till at last 

 all those nearest the sea have been feued and built during 

 the memory of men now living. The same may be observed 

 of the bridges. All the land not now near the sea has been 

 sold or given away at a nominal rent ; but the land next the 

 sea is very high in the feu-duty, having been feued after the 

 sea had receded in modern times, when the rights of the 

 public began to be regarded. Inveresk gives name to the 

 parish, and signifies the mouth of the Esk. No town of any 

 note had been nearer the river mouth when it was named. 

 There are men who remember the sea near the mouth of the 

 Esk being just at the north wall of what is called Chambers's 

 Park, that is about 10 imperial chains further south than 

 it is now. It was so deep, too, as to be a harbour for fisher 

 boats. A field of above eight acres is now enclosed between 

 that and the sea. They also remember the sea coming into 



